Albany State’s Staton named preseason All-American

An Albany State University Golden Ram has been named to a national preseason football team.

ASU wide receiver Octavius Staton is one of 25 top HBCU football players in the country to be named to the national Boxtorow Preseason HBCU Football All-American team, which was released today. ASU’s second-leading receiver last season, Staton caught 32 passes for 518 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 16.2 yards per reception during his 2010 campaign. He was also named to the All-SIAC Preseason First Team Offense.

“I am extremely proud of Staton. He worked hard in the offseason and will work just as hard this season,” said Golden Rams head coach Mike White. “He is well deserving of this honor and we look forward to him having an All-America-type season.”

Joining Staton on the preseason team from the SIAC were Fort Valley State University tight end Tony Davis and Stillman College punter Ronnie Partridge. Named a Boxtorow All-American last year, Davis recorded 50 receptions for 611 yards and two touchdowns. Partridge, also a Boxtorow All-American last season, led the nation in punting average (45.5) and recorded 17 punts of 50 yards or more.

This is the fifth year of the Boxtorow Preseason HBCU Football All-American team. The voters are comprised of some of America’s top writers and media members who cover HBCU football.

About the author

Tom Knighton is the publisher of The Albany Journal. In November, 2011, he became the first blogger to take over a newspaper anywhere in the world. In August of 2012, he made the difficult decision to take the Journal out of print circulation and become an online news agency, a first for the Albany area.